Category Archives: Brighton football

Brighton football, Sam Kavakli

Column: Are the Seagulls becoming a new Bird of Prey? by Sam Kavakli

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The story of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club and how they have evolved over the last few decades is one of the most remarkable in modern football, but has success led to a feeling of imposter syndrome for many of their fans?

Jimmy Case was sacked as Brighton manager on Wednesday 4th December 1996. The Seagulls had been relegated into Division 3 (today’s League 2) but were on course to be sent down in back-to-back seasons. The club were 13 points adrift at the bottom of the table and their stadium, Goldstone Ground, was set to be sold to pay off the ever-increasing debts.

Despite an improvement in performance under new management, Brighton became under greater threat that season, after a two-point deduction was imposed when fans invaded the pitch in protest of the club’s stadium being sold. The future of the seaside club looked troubling.

However, lifelong supporter Dick Knight took control of the club in 1997 after ousting the previous board for eventually selling the stadium. Despite having to share a home stadium with Gillingham for two seasons, Knight helped the Seagulls slowly and steadily get back on track. Brighton had managed to maintain their Football League status based on goals scored and finished above Hereford United.

Division 3 remained Brighton’s home for a few years, but it could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for Knight stepping in. They finally moved to playing their home games at converted athletics track, Withdean Stadium, in 1999. Two years later, Micky Adams finally led the Seagulls to league triumph and promotion back to Division 2 (today’s League 1).

A new league saw new management and this transition proved to be a successful one. Peter Taylor led the club to back-to-back promotions into Division 1. All thanks to Dick Knight, Brighton had gone from being a near-non-league side, being one division under the Premier League in the space of five years.

The decade that followed saw the Seagulls drift between the second and third tiers of the football pyramid. Their final season at Withdean in 2010/11 saw them promoted from League One, back into the Championship. Brighton moved to Falmer and remained in the new second tier for a considerable period.

After years of fighting various demons – whether it be money problems, stadium issues or pure bad luck in promotion play-offs, the 2016/17 season saw Brighton finally promoted into the Premier League. They became a topflight outfit for the first time in 34 years and fans were buzzing. Dick Knight and later Tony Bloom, who were not just chairmen for the Seagulls, but lifelong supporters too and it means a lot when having pure love for the club rather than for money, finally and deservingly rewards you.

In a Guardian article written just before their first Premier League season, Brighton fan Alan Wares said: “At the end of last season, the sense of pride was massive. This was a club that was almost extinct, that had to fight tooth and nail to be here,” which shows how lifelong fans have kept on believing in their team through thick and thin.”

So, where are the Seagulls been flying nowadays?

Well, they haven’t flown downwards that’s for sure. The Premier League has been Brighton’s home for almost eight seasons and therefore they have grown into an even more respectable club, delivering plenty of talented players.

The first few seasons were a fight to survive but in 2022/23, something amazing happened. Brighton finished in sixth place and therefore qualified for European football for the first time in their history. Roberto De Zerbi truly transformed the Seagulls into a new ‘Bird of Prey’ in English football terms and even led his team to the FA Cup semi-finals for the second time in four years.

Brighton were unlucky with injuries during their time in the Europa League but still managed to achieve a round-of-16 finish and topped a group that included European giants Marseille and Ajax.

As of now, the Seagulls currently sit in ninth place in the Premier League table; holding on to their status as a topflight club and they definitely won’t be taking flight anytime soon. It’s a competitive league but new manager Fabian Hurzeler has made sure that his team keeps going.

The story of Brighton & Hove Albion is a genuinely underrated tale, and it is truly amazing how thirty years can turn you from the brink of becoming a non-league club to a top half Premier League team.

The story of a seaside club with passionate fans has made the Seagulls a force to be reckoned with.

Imposter syndrome? What is that?

When a football club evolves, so does its identity and Brighton have been able to reach these levels of achievement at a deserving rate. The evidence of their success is there, and they no longer have a reason to feel inadequate – supporters know who they are and where they have come from and that is what will continue to shape the future of the club.

Brighton football, Montpelier Villa Women FC, Skip Kelly, Women's football

Skip Kelly on Montpelier Villas Women FC

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Pre-season is my favourite time of the year. It’s all about getting players ready for the season ahead which means I can plan substitutions in advance knowing that the result has no consequence. All results are treated with a healthy dollop of skepticism because of the simple fact that it is pre-season. 

Last season, one of the earliest talks I had with a player was because they were worried about relegation. A week later I was having a conversation with another player who said their dream was to play at Wembley in an FA Cup final and waxed lyrical about how at that moment it was a possibility for us. During pre-season there are no such conversations but once league points or a place in the next round is at stake, it drives everyone mad and ultimately out of control.

‘Control the controllables’ is advice I repeatedly encounter and although it’s straightforward, I keep coming back to it. My mind is often racing with how to allocate tickets fairly if we did reach the FA Cup final or how I would keep players motivated through a relegation battle. 

 There’s a lot to worry about every season but arguably this season more than most. This will be my sixth season and I have announced to the squad it will be my last which naturally begs the question how will it all end? With silverware and plaudits like Alex Ferguson or an awkward and acrimonious like Arsene Wenger? Another one of those uncontrollables. 

This time next season, the team will be preparing for life in a new stadium with a new coach and hopefully will mark the beginning of a new successful era whereas I will be getting to grips with fatherhood. 

It’s always been a privilege to be responsible for a football team or a class in my actual job but the reality of being entirely responsible for an individual is both terrifying and exciting. 

There are countless stories of pushy parents being justified in their seemingly insane methods by the vast riches and glory that only sport offers and I can’t help but feel if we get a good start then there’s no reason that Skip Junior can’t be the person to lead Ireland to World Cup glory. 

Equally, I’m now more acutely aware of how parents can be disappointed by their offspring and I’m struck with the fear of Skip Junior being one of the greatest footballers in the world eclipsing Maradona, Messi and Ronaldo with billions of people imitating their skills on the pitch, copying their hairstyle and buying their shirt but then ruining it all in the eyes of their father by choosing to play for England. 

I have enjoyed asking current parents for advice which has ranged from ‘get sleep while you can’ to ‘don’t be afraid to say no’ but my favourite has been from the person who said people are very quick to tell you all the bad things but they never tell you how much joy they will bring you. 

Part of the reason I became the coach of Montpelier Villa was because I wanted my prospective children to have no barriers to playing football. I have never drunk alcohol because I was exposed to the effects of alcohol dependency at an impressionable age and didn’t want my prospective children to experience the same. 

Neither of these things will make me a better father and there are far more virtuous people than me out there but I share this with you to give an insight into the level of preparation I feel I have done. 

The child is due in January and by that time we are likely to know how well we have done in the FA Cup and if Wembley remains a possibility, we will know roughly where we are going to finish in the league. If the previous five seasons are anything to go by, we will win matches we shouldn’t win, lose matches we shouldn’t lose, players will get injured, and players will surprise themselves by surpassing their own expectations. 

At the moment, I feel calm and in control but my mind is racing with everything that we’re going to face in the season ahead.